Monday, February 26, 2007

Jewelry, Sushi, and Geometry

We spent most of this weekend packing up Grandma's things for her move. We're not quite sure where she's moving to, but she can't stay at her current assisted living apartment. Mark was great -- we were originally planning to go for one day and he suggested that we pack a bag, 'just in case.' Good thing we were prepared for a second day; I'm afraid that I got a little distracted by the confirmation certificates written in Norwegian and all of Grandma's jewelry (and coats). It probably doesn't help that I secretly wanted to wear all of the jewelry and scarves that I've given her over the last decade.

So. Here's a tip for those of you with elderly relatives. Don't give them skin lotion. They don't use it, and it only piles up in scores of plastic bottles where it separates into different layers which then become growing mediums for various forms of anaerobic or fungal life. If you really want to give them something, help them dust -- or even better, just sit down with them and talk with them.

We did manage to visit with Grandma during all the packing. The nursing home she's at was having a group cherry pie bake on Saturday. We brought Arthur (who wasn't allowed to touch the floor) and you should have seen all the residents perk up. It's too bad they don't have a local preschool visit more often. Sunday was a little slower (we were over there earlier), but Grandma really woke up when we got her talking about dogs. She's got a dog puppet and she woke up even more when she made the dog bark for Arthur.

Arthur has some new friends at the local store: the Sushi Booth Ladies. Mark took him Saturday before we left for Corvallis and they awarded Arthur with some eel. Today when we went to go look at the chicken rotisserie there was more eel. I will have to learn how to say thank you in their language.

Later this morning I was trying to show Arthur the properties of circles by tracing them using an Aquadoodle Pad and an empty juice bottle.

John: "See, here's a circle. And you put the center of the bottle on the circle. And you drawn another circle."

Arthur (animated): "Ooh. Mmm." (reaches for Aquadoodle Pen)

John: "Hang on, let me draw one more circle." (Finishes three intertwined circles). "Here, you draw one. (Arthur takes pen) Now, the first two circles form a vesica piscis --

Arthur: (plunks pen into bottle) "Squeal!" (shakes pen up and down within bottle) "Out!" (slides pen out of bottle) "In!" (plunks pen back into bottle; shakes again).

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♑ I'm a Capricorn. Depending on the day and hour that means different things. It's safe to say that it's a useful metaphor. Mark, my husband, came up with the slogan for Capricorns, which is How Can I Love You If You Won't Do What I Say? I need to make a T-shirt with the Latin translation: Quomodo te amare possum nisi facere vis quae praecepi?